My Story

So, you've been reading some of my posts about simplicity, social responsibility and change.  And, you're wondering...  why am I doing this?

Over the past 10 years, I've made major improvements in my own happiness and have grown enormously.  I'm not an expert, or a life coach, but I do feel it's important, and valuable, to share my own findings through personal experience and research on my path to growth.  My hope is that anyone reading this can know that they're not alone, and learn from my mistakes.  This helps me to continually clarify my path, but is also in answer to friends, acquaintances, and perhaps now strangers too that ask why I'm so happy, or how I can enjoy living so simply, or afford to travel for almost 3 years. 

Though not the first step on my path, one of the most profound was my decision in 2005 to leave the field of architecture and travel with my partner in the developing world for an undetermined length of time.  We rented our home and bought a one-way ticket to India.  It was terrifying and exhilarating.  Our aim was to live simply, experience life at the local level, gain an understanding of other cultures, trek in the Himalayas, see the World!  We chose to travel slowly and almost exclusively overland.  Over this time I read profusely, journaled extensively, met scores of incredibly generous people, had hundreds of unforgettable experiences.

The time I spent in the developing world made a profound and lifelong impact on the way I think, feel and want to behave as a citizen of this planet.  During a period of this time we served as Fellows for Kiva.org in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  This volunteer work gave me intimate access into the humble homes of families borrowing money to sustain or grow their businesses.  With the help of the local microfinance officers, who acted as translators, I was able to ask any question I wanted and learn fascinating details of these people's lives.  I wrote about my experiences and discoveries on Kiva's website for lenders all over the globe who helped finance these small business expenses. 

Here is a sampling of some of their stories:

Channa Ven, mini-mart owner

Channa, 41, is a tiny woman. She seems very shy at having a barang (foreigner) visit her home. We sit on a woven mat on the front porch of her thatched home - also tiny at only 10'x12', and housing 8 people!. Channa has been running the little open-air grocery stand in front of her home for the past 7 years. She says she's happy with this work as it allows her to be home and take care of her 6 children. Her husband used to work in an office, but after he had an operation a few years ago he's been working at home with her. They also raise pigs and work for neighbors during the rice harvest.

Channa's loan of $400 has enabled her to purchase new items for her store, and a small freezer, to better compete with the other village stores that have recently opened. For several years, she was the only store in town, carrying a variety of items - bread, sugarcane, noodles, fesh produce, and rice wines mixed with different fruit juices. Now she tries to keep an edge over competition with her homemade butter, ice cream and sweets.

Channa talks a lot about her children and the difficulty of keeping them in school. Of the six, her oldest is 19 and will now be working with them as college is too expense and far away. Her youngest child, 4, was very ill with fever when she was young and suffered brain damage so that she now has to take care of her at home. More optimistically she speaks of one daughter who is learning English and is "very clever". Channa hopes that with increased income she'll be able to provide for her to attend secondary school.  An opportunity she never had.

Siem Morm, farmer

Siem, a widow at age 53, smiled broadly as she welcomed us into her home the other day. Her loan of $500  has enabled her to purchase fertilizers and pesticides for her farm.  Like her parents before her, and their parents, Siem is a farmer. She's been doing it for over 30 years and says the work comes easily for her as it's all she's ever known. It's very hard work though, and prices are constantly fluctuating, so that the income is often only enough to cover the family's basic living expenses.

Of her eight children, 2 daughters are married and live away from home. Another works in the local government-run garment factory. Her youngest daughter, 14, is still in school and helps her in the afternoons. All four sons are living at home and farm with her. Her main focus now is for improving the business and providing a better education for her youngest. She hopes that when this loan has been repaid she will take another to build a new outhouse and make other improvements to their home.


Saroeurn, 56, greeted us in front of her small mini-mart the other day. The "store" is simply a couple of tables with items displayed on them and others hanging from above. She cleared a spot for the loan officer and I to sit and motioned for her daughter to take over. As we asked her about her life, family and the effects of her loan, several other children and grandchildren who were sitting nearby gazed at us with open curiosity.

Sarourn, mini-mart owner

Saroeurn's loan of $1,000 has enabled her to purchase new items for her store to better compete with the other village stores nearby. The mini-mart is stocked with a variety of food and sundry items - fresh produce, sugar, seasonings, rice crackers, cigarettes, eggs and ice. She tries to keep an edge over competition with unique items like homemade wine and shrimp cakes. Saroeurn also used a portion of her loan to purchase jasmine flowers which her daughter, 24, resells in Phnom Penh. 

Saroeurn's husband is a construction worker. Of their nine children, ages 10 - 24, five have stopped school and work to help support the family. One son is still in school and studies English in Phnom Penh on the weekends. With their combined income, Saroeurn feels her family is doing well. She hopes that in the future, if business continues to improve, they won't have to borrow money again and may even save enough to buy a moto-scooter for the family.

Hong, woodcarver

The experiences I had among the disadvantaged taught me about traveling lightly through life.  It's an amazing sensation for one so used to structure and schedule to be mobile and flexible... and to lighten your load of "stuff"!  That was the beginning of my simplification at home.  It's strange, but excess possessions seem to weigh you down in the same way that excess baggage on the road does.  All those "things" have an attachment and begin to own "you".  So, it goes to reason that the less you have, the more free you feel.  

Liberate yourself!  

Nouern, weaver

Another important lesson that traveling taught me was to slow down, take your time, and take a deep breath.  You're not on this journey alone, so be polite to your fellow passengers - smile and assist when needed.

And finally, be flexible!  Things often don't go as planned, but anger doesn't help.  Again, breathe.  Sometimes, the unexpected can bring about the best in a situation, or in you.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."  - Lao Tzu